Enhancing Employee Job Satisfaction Essay

1.Executive Summary Communication problems often become apparent due to their consequences. If a department suffers from high staff turnover, this often can be a sign of poor communication between and supervisor and the team. If the team doesn’t understand what is expected from them, received unclear instructions or is not sure about the overall strategy and why they are asked to do what they do – all issues down to poor communication – they often feel dissatisfied and this can result in employees leaving the business after a relatively short period of time. Another cause that can justify reviewing if there are any departmental communication problems is low motivation, productivity and poor business performance. If staff does not receive the information they require or do not feel appreciated, valued and kept informed they might not go the ‘extra mile’ for their employer. They might feel frustrated and can’t see the point of what they are doing and this in turn leads to poor performance. Open and regular disagreements between managers and the team, such as open conflict or rejected appraisals, are also a clear sign of communication issues and should be looked into. But suspecting that a departmental issue is down to poor communication is not sufficient to bring improvement about. Once you suspect that there are communication problems how do you find out for sure enabling you to target them? A good method of identifying if there are communication problems is to talk to the involved parties and try to gain an understanding about their opinion. Why do they think the department underperforms? Do they feel they get all the information and feedback they need to do the job? What would they change if they could? Are their opinions heard and accepted? I is important to keep this feedback confidential in order to ensure that honest feedback is received – either through anonymous surveys or through individual conversations with a neutral party such as an HR manager. Another method is to question staff about the things they should know, e.g. how their work fits in with the business strategy and why they do what they do. If they are not able to answer these questions, it is likely that communication is insufficient or ineffective. Identifying communication problems between managers and staff can be easily identified using above suggestions. By rectifying these major positive impacts on business performance and employee satisfaction can be achieved. A final suggestion on how to identify communication problems between managers and staff is to observe how both parties interact. Are conversations kept courteous and respectful and show trust or are they sharp and without showing signs of a good relationship. Body language should also be observed to identify if both parties listen to each other and communicate effectively or if information is not taken in and heard or offered effectively. A review of the key communication channels used can also be very valuable, e.g. email should be used for clear step to step instructions to ensure understanding, but at the same time direct communication face-to-face or per telephone is needed to ensure a relationship is developing and queries can be easily resolved. 2.Background of the study To avoid the consequences of job dissatisfaction. Employees lack motivation, perform poorly and possess negative attitudes means that they are dissatisfaction on the jobs. These symptoms can directly affect a company’s profit and vision. We should understand the reasons why employees are unhappy at work. Understanding the causes can help us find the right solutions. To improve employee motivation and performance, we wonder how to get employees to work with a higher degree of effort. What motivates an employee to perform varies from employee to employee. Some people work to satisfy needs, meet goals or fulfill accomplishments. Motivation to perform is not a rule that can be enforced; it comes from within the employee. To inspire motivation, we must create a work environment that encourages employees to feel motivated. Improve employees’ engagement to prevent unhappiness, turnover and even profit declines. To improve teamwork, is to realize the importance of teamwork and become proactive about having colleagues work together as an important element of the business. We need to improve and enhancing employee’s job satisfaction, engagement, collaboration and teamwork to resulting in increased productivity. Employees are a company’s livelihood. How they feel about the work they are doing and the results received from that work directly impact company’s performance and, ultimately, its stability. For instance, if employees are highly motivated and proactive, they will do whatever is necessary to achieve the goals as well as keep track of performance to address any potential challenges. Employees have low motivation is completely vulnerable to both internal and external challenges because its employees are not going the extra mile to maintain the company stability. An unstable ultimately underperforms. 3. Introduction and background of Hotel 3.1 Introduction & background of Hotel We are one of Hong Kong’s best designed hotel are perfect choice for travelers who demand the best short term stay and long term accommodation. Since we opened in 1997, our hotel in central Hong Kong has been recognized by guests and the hospitality industry for its outstanding performance. The 350 guest rooms are all tastefully furnished and are completed direct telephone line with voice mail. Our equipped kitchenettes include microwave, induction cooker and refrigerator and broadband internet access are available in our hotel. Location Situated in the heart of Hong Kong Island, superbly located in the mid-levels commanding spectacular views of Hong Kong Island and Victoria harbor. It is also a prestigious address that enjoys the proximity to prime business districts of Central and Admiralty. Attraction The Hong Kong Park and Botanical Garden are in the proximity, with lush greenery and ample open space nearby Central MTR station and Hong Kong’s popular nightspot Lan Kwai Fong are also within 10 minutes walking distance. Well connected by public transport to the main shopping district areas, Causeway Bay Hong Kong. It is perfectly located in an area with a mix of history, art & culture, and a touch of stylish contemporary. Antique shops, art galleries and designers boutiques scattered around, together with high rise office buildings, massive shopping centre and party venues of Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo. 3.2 Hotel Structure The Hotel structure that’s split into two basic groups: administrative and operations. The administrative side of the structure includes such departments as sales and marketing, accounting and human resources. The operations side is generally split further into food and beverage and rooms. Both administration and operations report to the general manager. The administrative group is fairly straightforward. Any function that does not consistently interact with the guests or impact the service level falls into this group. The operations group is a bit more complicated. Food and beverage, for instance, might include the hotel’s restaurants, bars, nightclubs, banquets department, catering department and sometimes room service. Rooms might include the front desk and front-door personnel, housekeeping, concierge, guest services and sometimes security and engineering. Human Resources Department The human resources department plays a vital role in a hotel’s efficient operation. The functions of the human resources department are employee recruitment, benefits administration and training. Although the human resources department recruits, interviews, and screens prospective employees, the final hiring decision rests within the department in which the potential employee will be working. Accounting Department The accounting department’s responsibilities are include recording financial transactions, preparing and interpreting financial statements and providing the managers of other departments with timely reports of operating results. Other responsibilities, carried out by the assistant controller for finance, include payroll preparation, ac-counts receivable, and accounts payable. Rooms Department Responsibilities of the rooms department include reservations, guest reception, room assignment, tracking the status of rooms (available or occupied), prompt forwarding of mail and phone messages, security, housekeeping of guest rooms and public spaces such as lobbies, and answering guests’ questions. This very department provides the services guests expect during their stay in the Hotel. The front office is usually considered one of the most important departments in a hotel because that is where the most interaction with the hotel guests takes place. Frequent and consistent communication among front-office functions is critical. Reservations, for instance, must communicate with the front desk each day about the number of rooms that have been presold. The front desk must communicate with housekeeping staff members to let them know when guests check out. Management for all front-office departments must stress consistent and frequent communication to ensure a smooth-running operation. The housekeeping department is vital to attracting and keeping guests through its role of maintaining top quality decor, cleanliness and service. The housekeeping department includes many roles in the service staff of a hotel. Aside from room attendants, who tend to room cleanliness, the department includes gardeners, maintenance men, bellhops, laundry staff and floor managers, as well as, occasionally, customer service professionals. Food and Beverage Department Food and beverage department is to provide food and drink to a hotel’s guests. Arrange multiple events scheduled for the guest. A coffee shop, gourmet restaurant, room service, banquet halls and function rooms where food and beverages are served. This department is an integral place in the hotel which is responsible for the systematic and the actual Service of food and beverage to the general public or customers as per the order in any F &B outlets. Marketing and Sales Department The marketing and sales department’s managers who make up the marketing and sales department are sales, or the selling of the hotel facilities and services to individuals and groups. Sales managers sell rooms, food, and beverages to potential clients through advertising, attendance at association and conference meetings and direct contacts. The marketing and sales department is also removed from most of the day-to-day operational problems faced by other departments. The division of work among the sales managers is based on the type of customers a hotel is attempting to attract. Engineering Department The engineering department’s responsibilities include preventive maintenance; repair; replacement; improvement and modification to furniture, fixtures, and equipment; and ensuring uninterrupted provision of utilities (gas, electricity, water). Preventive maintenance involves routine checks and inspection of the key components of all equipment. Maintenance of recreational facilities may be part of the engineering department’s responsibilities. the engineering department’s responsibilities include preventive maintenance; repair; replacement; improvement and modification to furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE); and ensuring uninterrupted provision of utilities (gas, electricity, water). Organization Chart – Appendix I 4.Methodologies 4.1 Questionnaire (anonymous) A staff questionnaire is an effective tool used to find out what the employees feel about the organization, it policies, work environment, job responsibilities, co-workers, superiors etc. In any work environment, it is important for the upper management to be aware of what its staff wants and expects; this will lead to better retention of employees and a mutually productive relationship between the staff and the boss. Staff questionnaires to discover what are employees really thinking. These are completed on an anonymous basis usually once or twice a year. Because the employees can’t be identified we are more likely to get honest answers. This information can be revealing; it may also help to tackle hidden problems quickly and, more importantly, before staff gets blown out of proportion. Sample of Questionnaire – Appendix II 5.Analysis & finding of current problems 5.1Problems in communications Some employees might also be afraid or not feel comfortable to speak up about problems they are having with other co-workers. Some employees might think that if they speak up about trouble they are having they will be frowned upon for future projects. 5.2Employees initiative and commitment Some employee not willing to handle multiple tasks, responsibilities and take on new challenges. Hidden interest in and no enthusiasm for the job and completes assignments slowly and non-efficiently. Not able to adapt to new situations and changing work priorities and responsibilities when needed. 5.3Employee job dissatisfaction Staff expects to get a commensurate reward. The wage should be fair, reasonable and equitable. Employees who feel stuck in their job position are less motivated to maintain high productivity. Managers with poor leadership skills tend to offer little feedback on employees’ performances. 5.4Inter-department conflicts A manager or employee will know an important piece of information, and assume that because he knows it, then everyone else must know it as well. 5.5Employees’ behavior Employees feel threatened by fellow employees, experience workplace burnout, lack respect for management and feel unappreciated. 6. Conclusion Businesses without effective staff communication suffer from lost profits, poor productivity and poor employee morale. In order to solve many business problems, employees need to be able to collaborate and cooperate effectively. Good communication can encourage employees to work harder, solve problems together and work towards a common goal. It is the job of every supervisor, manager or boss to make sure employees are communicating effectively. If a department suffers from high staff turnover, this often can be a sign of poor communication between and supervisor and the team. If the team doesn’t understand what is expected from them, received unclear instructions or is not sure about the overall strategy and why they are asked to do what they do – all issues down to poor communication – they often feel dissatisfied and this can result in employees leaving the business after a relatively short period of time. Another cause that can justify reviewing if there are any departmental communication problems is low motivation, productivity and poor business performance. If staff does not receive the information they require or do not feel appreciated, valued and kept informed they might not go the ‘extra mile’ for their employer. They might feel frustrated and can’t see the point of what they are doing and this in turn leads to poor performance. Employees feel dissatisfied with their jobs at one point or another. Some employees leave their jobs for better opportunities, while others choose to stay. Employees with low job satisfaction can negatively affect a company because they typically lack motivation, perform poorly and possess negative attitudes. These symptoms can directly affect a company’s bottom line. Managers should understand the reasons employees are unhappy at work. Understanding the causes can help managers find the right solutions. One of the primary reasons for job dissatisfaction results from companies underpaying workers. The stress of paying bills with limited income causes many workers to feel dissatisfied with their jobs. A lack of career growth and advancement is another reason why employees are dissatisfied at their jobs. Employees who feel stuck in their job position are less motivated to maintain high productivity than those who do not. Workers feel valued when employers include them in their long-term plans and show their appreciation through promotions. Employees who move up in an organization and receive just compensation to reflect their title and responsibility changes usually commit themselves to the company for the long term. A lack of interest in the work is another reason why employees are unhappy. Most employees want to perform job duties that are engaging and challenging. Monotonous work causes an employee to experience boredom. Bored and unchallenged employees experience little incentive to concern themselves with workplace productivity. The nature of employees’ work accounts for the most situational influence in workplace satisfaction. A key reason employees perform poorly in the workplace is poor management. Managers with poor leadership skills tend to offer little feedback on employees’ performances. Micromanaging and dictating to employees instead of motivating them can cause a decrease in employee productivity. Poor communication is one of the main causes of conflict between employees in the workplace. This can result in a difference in communication styles or a failure to communicate. For example, a manager reassigned an employee’s task to the employee’s co-worker but failed to communicate the reassignment to the employee. This may cause the employee to feel slighted, which can transform into animosity among the two employees and the manager. Failing to communicate in the workplace may cause employees to make incorrect assumptions and believe workplace gossip. Poor communication in the workplace not only causes conflict but decreases productivity and employee morale.

King Kong: Doomed Love between Beauty and the Beast

In 1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack gave birth to one of the world’s most famous movie icons, King Kong. All across the globe, this story is known as the beast that falls in love with beauty, and ultimately meets his fate at the foundation of the empire state building. Adrift in the depression era Ann Darrow, an actress, finds her calling with a film crew leaving to discover the mysterious uncharted Skull Island. Not knowing what they will encounter, they set forth in their expeditions; the crew discovers a land of creatures only heard of in fairy tales, while Ann discovers her affections for the beast that captured her and her heart. King Kong’s been rewritten numerous times over the decades, and none has been comparable until the 2005 universal picture production of the film, directed by Peter Jackson. There has been some controversy surrounding the new version of this American timepiece. Some say it is better than the classic, while others will not stray from the original. Peter Jackson tried to stay as close to the traditional theme as possible, but we cannot fight the fact that our culture has changed drastically in the last seventy-eight years. Therefore asking the question, â€Å"What side are you on, classic or modern? † First, we cannot tell the classic tale of forbidden love without our heroine. In both films, Ann Darrow is played by a charming actress whose alluring beauty bewitches the beast into docility. However, in the original King Kong our heroine (Fay Wray) plays the prototypical role of the damsel in distress, which in the early 1930’s was a common part for the female protagonist. The main objective for women were to play the subservient role, making the male seem superior, until the rise of the feminist movement women seldom played the lead role in films. The feminist movement and empirical science arose together in 1848, and upon their awakening there came a curious notion, are women essentially that different from men? As neutrality was beginning to surface, the feminist movement began to center their attentions on capsizing legal equality, this being the first wave of the feminist movement. The second wave hit in the 1960’s, promoting equal rights and abolishing gender favoritism in economic, political, legal, and social structures. With all this said, women began to take initiative, no longer needing to be rescued, similar to Watts’s rendition of Ann Darrow in the 2005 edition. Ann (Naomi Watts) is compassionate and impertinent; even though she is terrified of Kong, she stays collect, assessing the situation she takes matters into her own hands, instead of waiting to be liberated. Films and media are an extremely strong force in our society, and now that women are given the opportunity to play dominant roles in movies, these selected ladies might start to revolutionize people's ideas about women in films. Even though it may take more then just women being lead characters, it is a big jump from them being portrayed as the characters they were just years ago The pretrial of our beautiful young actress is not the only significant difference in contrast to the films, also the relationship between beauty and the beast has changed. In the vein of the most commanding tropical cyclone, Kong comes ripping through the forest obliterating all obstacles in his path, assaulting his way to the sacrificial alter where his offering awaits him. When Kong reaches his benevolence, he is immediately taken back. Mystified, by this strange creature with blonde hair and pale completion, completely different from the indigenous dark skin girls he is use too. Through the eager beat of the 1933 production, the spirited actress (Fey Wray) spends most of her time screaming her guts out while in the company of her savage companion never becoming at ease with him, she makes no attempt at emotional interaction. Kong is portrayed as an unintelligent beast, protecting Darrow like a dog would his bone, unlike the 2005 Kong. This version of the oversize anthropoid has more of a connection with Ann. She senses his intelligence, reaching out to him, and risking his rebuttal, she shows Kong she is unafraid. Ann’s compassion towards Kong tied their bond so tight that Kong will stop at nothing to keep her in his grasp. Even down to his last moments on top of the Empire State building, they are so connected that Ann trusts him full heartedly. Sitting in the tranquility of her protector’s clutch, her eyes reflecting the tenderness she feels for him; Kong seems to know his era of dynasty is ending. He wants to have these last minutes to breathe in the only source of pleasure he has known in a lifetime of loneliness, for this brief moment, he is at peace. Peter Jackson’s rendition of the relationship between Ann and Kong signifies the one human being who set aside the outer shell of this ample creature and looked inside his soul finding a friend that would freely give his life to keep her safe. This is a lesson we as a nation could take into practice when dealing with others in our current state of destitution. The 1930’s was a unique period, with our country in the state of The Great Depression, Cooper and Schoedsack had their hands full. They had to create something compelling enough that people would spend their needed money on a movie ticket. Cooper and Schoedsack did just that, they fashioned Kong precisely for the 1930’s audience giving them their sense of wonder back. Bring their story to life they constructed various scenes never captured on film before, when the dinosaur’s head breaks through the lake and starts to devour the crew, the audience was blow away. The technology was extraordinary, the claymation creatures were shockingly realistic, and the dinosaurs’ wobbly movement, posture, and behavior exemplified the scientific inquiry of the time. Through the creativity of stop motion photography and various filming advancements, the monsters animator was able to take an 18-inch puppet and transform it into Kong, the eighth wonder of the world. Jackson recreates King Kong using the advancements of today’s technology; utilizing his skill with CGI graphics, he is able to bring Kong to life. The complexity of the effects is spectacular; from the dinosaur stampede to Kong’s battle with the T-Rex, the digital artwork is breathtaking. There is no doubt Jackson did his homework in recreating the tragic tale of Kong and with the use of modern technical innovations he won the hearts of many Kong fans. Jackson’s obvious love for the original King Kong is apparent in his remake of the film; he did a magnificent job in the retelling of the story and appealing to today’s audience. The debate between the superior version of King Kong will forever continue, but we also need to take into consideration the era in which both films were created. The original was timeless, culturally set for its 1933 audience, when American culture was at its turning point. The era of silent movies were ending, at the same time The Great Depression was starting, bringing change in the production of films. Films began to reach out to the audience sending the message that everything will be all right. While the modern version changes to appeal to today’s audience, with all the progression in technology it is getting harder and harder to get the wow feeling needed to accomplish the same affect the 1933 Kong inspired. Even with all of today's glorious special effects, it remains inculcate to the story of Darrow and Kong. However, the special effects are essential in the painting of the story, showing the magnitude of the doomed love between beauty and beast. There are many beautiful qualities about each film, and instead of choosing a side, take pleasure in what both have to offer to our culture.

Motocross

Good morning class. The theme of my IA is motocross but today I will speak specifically on the topic â€Å"The development of motocross as an established sport†. What is motocross?†¦. Motocross is defined as a timed motorcycle race over a closed outdoor course consisting of a winding dirt trail with hills, jumps, sharp turns, and often muddy terrain. This sport originated in Britain as an off-road event called scrambling. The first known scramble took place at Camberley, Surrey in 1924. The earliest motorcycles were little more than bicycles with small internal combustion engines attached. During these early years people sometimes, used the tracks built for bicycle racing for scrambling events. These early scrambling events were used to show case motorcycles entered by manufacturers to publicize their brand in much the same way they do today. By the late 1920’s â€Å"Scrambling† had become very popular in both Britain and France. The French added new dimensions to the sport, they shortened the tracks added laps and man made obstacles such as jumps. They also changed the name to what it is known as today†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Motocross which is a combination of motorcycle and cross country. The bikes used for motocross during the late 1920’s were very similar to those used on the streets at that time such as Harley Davidson’s and Indians, which had rigid frames. By the 1930’s these then gave way to frames containing suspension and more advanced swinging fork rear suspension by the early 1950’s. According to the FIM motocross went international in 1947 when the Dutch national motorcycle federation hosted a competition called the motocross des nations for national teams on an estate in the Netherlands. Three countries were entered in the first year of the competition they were Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Belgium. The riders competed in races consisting of two heats each of eight laps, over a two mile circuit. Scoring was done by computing the total times of the top three riders from each national team. The British who were represented by, Bill Nicholson, Fred Rist, and Ray Scovell riding 500cc bikes manufactured by the British Small arms company won the competition, beating the Belgians by only 9 seconds. The popularity of the event was shown to have greatly improved as the second staging of the event in Belgium attracted thirty thousand spectators. The British continued to show their dominance in the sport as they went on to win the motocross des nations 15 times in the first twenty years of the event. In 1952 the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme), the motorcycling’s international governing body, created an individual European Championship, and then upgraded it to a World Championship title in 1957. In 1962 a young engineer in East Germany Walter Kaaden, made a technological breakthrough that greatly improved the two-stroke engine and its usefulness which in turn â€Å"revolutionized† the motorcycle industry. His discovery was that of the principle of the expansion chamber, which when properly shaped, instantly increased the power of a two stroke engine by over 25 percent. This gave the 2 stroke engine a power to weight ratio that easily exceeded the 4-stroke engine. Another benefit of the 2 stroke engine was that it was less complicated and much cheaper to mass produce. As a result of this many industrial nations including Germany, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Sweden, Spain, and Japan quickly embraced the new technology. As engine design and power improved competition for 250cc motorcycles the class in which 2 strokes performed their best, began to gain in popularity and in 1962 the FIM created a 250cc world championship. As a result of the introduction of the 250cc class the growth of motocross during the 1970s was nothing less than a motorsport revolution. The growth of motocross when measured by the number of American motorcycle association sanctioned events grew one hundred fold between 1965 and 1975. In the 1980’s the sport developed even more in the US, the 250cc class went through the decade and in 1985 the East/West 125cc class which was created for the younger less experienced riders was formed. During the 1990’s the 250 class remained in the spotlight, with the main focus now moving from Europe where motocross had been more popular, to the USA, where riders such as Jeremy McGrath and Jeff Stanton consistently dominated the sport. Today, as a result of the advancements and achievements in the world of motocross it has allowed for the world to recognize it as an established sport in which many have excelled and shown greatness †¦. persons such as Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, and James Stewart are some of the greatest names associated with the sport of motocross. Motocross Good morning class. The theme of my IA is motocross but today I will speak specifically on the topic â€Å"The development of motocross as an established sport†. What is motocross?†¦. Motocross is defined as a timed motorcycle race over a closed outdoor course consisting of a winding dirt trail with hills, jumps, sharp turns, and often muddy terrain. This sport originated in Britain as an off-road event called scrambling. The first known scramble took place at Camberley, Surrey in 1924. The earliest motorcycles were little more than bicycles with small internal combustion engines attached. During these early years people sometimes, used the tracks built for bicycle racing for scrambling events. These early scrambling events were used to show case motorcycles entered by manufacturers to publicize their brand in much the same way they do today. By the late 1920’s â€Å"Scrambling† had become very popular in both Britain and France. The French added new dimensions to the sport, they shortened the tracks added laps and man made obstacles such as jumps. They also changed the name to what it is known as today†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Motocross which is a combination of motorcycle and cross country. The bikes used for motocross during the late 1920’s were very similar to those used on the streets at that time such as Harley Davidson’s and Indians, which had rigid frames. By the 1930’s these then gave way to frames containing suspension and more advanced swinging fork rear suspension by the early 1950’s. According to the FIM motocross went international in 1947 when the Dutch national motorcycle federation hosted a competition called the motocross des nations for national teams on an estate in the Netherlands. Three countries were entered in the first year of the competition they were Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Belgium. The riders competed in races consisting of two heats each of eight laps, over a two mile circuit. Scoring was done by computing the total times of the top three riders from each national team. The British who were represented by, Bill Nicholson, Fred Rist, and Ray Scovell riding 500cc bikes manufactured by the British Small arms company won the competition, beating the Belgians by only 9 seconds. The popularity of the event was shown to have greatly improved as the second staging of the event in Belgium attracted thirty thousand spectators. The British continued to show their dominance in the sport as they went on to win the motocross des nations 15 times in the first twenty years of the event. In 1952 the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme), the motorcycling’s international governing body, created an individual European Championship, and then upgraded it to a World Championship title in 1957. In 1962 a young engineer in East Germany Walter Kaaden, made a technological breakthrough that greatly improved the two-stroke engine and its usefulness which in turn â€Å"revolutionized† the motorcycle industry. His discovery was that of the principle of the expansion chamber, which when properly shaped, instantly increased the power of a two stroke engine by over 25 percent. This gave the 2 stroke engine a power to weight ratio that easily exceeded the 4-stroke engine. Another benefit of the 2 stroke engine was that it was less complicated and much cheaper to mass produce. As a result of this many industrial nations including Germany, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Sweden, Spain, and Japan quickly embraced the new technology. As engine design and power improved competition for 250cc motorcycles the class in which 2 strokes performed their best, began to gain in popularity and in 1962 the FIM created a 250cc world championship. As a result of the introduction of the 250cc class the growth of motocross during the 1970s was nothing less than a motorsport revolution. The growth of motocross when measured by the number of American motorcycle association sanctioned events grew one hundred fold between 1965 and 1975. In the 1980’s the sport developed even more in the US, the 250cc class went through the decade and in 1985 the East/West 125cc class which was created for the younger less experienced riders was formed. During the 1990’s the 250 class remained in the spotlight, with the main focus now moving from Europe where motocross had been more popular, to the USA, where riders such as Jeremy McGrath and Jeff Stanton consistently dominated the sport. Today, as a result of the advancements and achievements in the world of motocross it has allowed for the world to recognize it as an established sport in which many have excelled and shown greatness †¦. persons such as Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, and James Stewart are some of the greatest names associated with the sport of motocross.

Case Study of a Philosophical Argument About How Science

Of a Philosophical Argument About How Science - Case Study Example His belief was that empiricism had no place for causality and that human beings learn through associations with each other and arguments they have with friends. This gave rise to the issue of induction in philosophy. On the other hand, Tomas Kuhn was of the idea that knowledge comes through the revolution of science. He proposes that the origin of knowledge is through observations and drawing practical conclusions, which can be tested scientifically. Other scholars carry out empirical tests on facts proposed by one scholar. They develop new models to provide plausible explanations for the old and new observations. This explanation is consistent with Bacon’s proposal on the inductive process of arriving at knowledge. The view on scientific method by Bacon has been in use in the contemporary world of ideas and science, where concepts are continually tested, and put in the swing of things.

Psychological effects of Propaganda in relation to Totalitarianism Essay

Psychological effects of Propaganda in relation to Totalitarianism - Essay Example Totalitarianism is a new form of government falling into the general classification of dictatorship, a system in which technologically advanced instruments of political power are wielded without restraint by centralized leadership of an elite movement for the purpose of affecting a total social revolution, including the conditioning of man on the basis of certain arbitrary ideological assumptions, proclaimed by the leadership in an atmosphere of coerced unanimity of the entire population. (qtd. in Linz 66). Therefore in a totalitarian regime propaganda is the psychological weapon used to make the unassuming masses toe the political line. The role of propaganda in bringing about such a revolution has been emphasized. History is littered with examples of the use of propaganda in transforming hitherto placid peoples into bloodthirsty vengeful killers. Records of such unimaginable violence raise many questions about the darker side of human nature and what goads ordinary individuals into performing unspeakable acts. Thus the focus of this essay will be to study the psychological effects of propaganda in relation to totalitarianism. Totalitarianism relied heavily on fear to control individuals, stifle resistance, root out dissent and eliminate opposition. According to Bramstedt, propaganda and fear share a symbiotic relationship, "Terror without propaganda would lose most of its psychological effect, whereas propaganda without terror does not contain its full punch" (175). Fear and terror were used to prompt individuals to behave in the manner approved by the regime. Propaganda had the effect of taking the edge out of the sting of terror by justifying the heavy-handed tactics employed as essential in the journey towards a bright future and by painting a rosy picture of the future under the current government. The combined use of fear and propaganda to great effect was demonstrated in the aftermath of the Russian revolution. The Bolsheviks under Lenin unleashed the red terror on the populace to deal with the insurgents. The secret police known as the Cheka and the red army under Trotsky sought to destroy the anti-Bolsheviks with a firm hand. Thousands were executed in cold blood or imprisoned in concentration camps that spread like a rash throughout the country. The masses cowered in fear and were psychologically ripe for the effects of propaganda. Agitation propaganda had been employed by Lenin via inflammatory publications like the Pravda to discredit the Tsarist regime and to fan the flames of revolution. Having seen the revolution to its bloody end and by demonstrating their might the Bolsheviks set about establishing a totalitarian system. Propaganda was used to garner popular support for the government and to enlighten the masses about the benefits of communism. People were led to b elieve that communism was the panacea for all their problems and the rewards were manifold for those who embraced its tenets. Needless to say the masses were convinced and thus propaganda bolstered by fear laid the groundwork for the development of a powerful Soviet Russia. The Nazis used a like combination of propaganda

Should the instant replay used in the NFL be applied to other sports Essay

Should the instant replay used in the NFL be applied to other sports - Essay Example Instant replays were necessitated by the need to be accurate. There was a problem when teams were awarded titles and trophies they did not deserve. One point can make a significant difference. One score can be the difference between the winner and the loser. It has been observed that teams have been given points they did not score. All because the referee thought the ball went past the score line. In 2010 FIFA world cup, for instance, in South Africa when England was playing against Germany England was denied a goal by the referees. Yet replays confirmed the ball went past the goal line. Before a team wins a championship, it costs the team a lot of money, effort and time. Teams invest up to millions of dollars in these activities so that they can win. When an unfair decision by a referee denies a team a crucial victory, then it causes anger and frustrations. Yet the referees cannot be in every place within the field of play.... Before a team wins a championship, it costs the team a lot of money, effort and time, (Kramer 194). Teams invest up to millions of dollars in these activities so that they can win. When an unfair decision by a referee denies a team a crucial victory, then it causes anger and frustrations. Yet the referees cannot be in every place within the field of play, (Wiederhold and W Sutphen 54). The other problem involved cases of discipline in the field of play. There are instances in which players attack each other in a way that is malicious, (Verna 21). Some of those incidences can result to injuries. The referees are not always in a position a see some of these incidences as they happen. Most of these incidences are captured by video cameras. These footages are aired in the course of the game, (Gamache 101). This sparks a wave of outrage from fans and supporters. Sometimes the referees are accused of being biased. This happen when it is perceived that the referee is being unfair to one tea m. The referees need to be at a position to see things as they happen in the field of play. Referees involve instant replay technology. Instant play helps to sort of some of these challenges. Tournaments must be a fair platform. This is because they must show genuine effort being rewarded. Technology must be used to solve the problems that exist if it has to make sense to us. There should be a way of spotting and monitoring all the incidences in the course of the game. This makes sure that all cases that require disciplinary action as handled in the right way, (Verna 21). The other serious problem is on the bases of security of the players in the field. This also extends to the security of the fans watching the game in the field. There have

Strategic and operation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategic and operation management - Essay Example bsequently in 2007, the research and development team of the company developed Crylon fibre, which comprised of all the qualities to be counted as superior to Britlene, especially with its better heat resistant mechanism as compared to other fibres. It is noteworthy in this context that with the development of new products in the market sphere of the industry, the company has been losing its monopolistic positioning. Eventually, the company has been focused on developing new products to regain its leadership positioning, which was already threatened by the expiration of their previous patent on Britlene apart from the rising competition in the market being intruded by local as well as international traders. It is thus expected that the development of Crylon will prove effective in rewarding the organisation with its competitive advantages (Jones, n.d.). The paper particularizes on the critical analysis of the current strategic positioning of the company. Correspondingly, emphasis has been laid on evaluating the implication of change with due regards to resource planning. The options available to the company with the generation of new product, i.e. Crylon have further been assessed on the basis of Ansoff matrix, focused on evaluating its feasibility, suitability and acceptability in the market, as compared to its prior product performance of Britlene. Findings from these analyses have further been summarised to draw upon recommendations for DSF. In general, the strategic positioning of any company is mostly concerned with the impact of its undertaken initiatives in respect with the internal and the external sources persisting in the business environment, observing the influences of the stakeholders and competences of the firm (CIMA, 2008). When marketing a new product, observing the market trends from an overall perspective is essential. It is in this context that a company expanding business in the same product line thus becomes subjected to many speculations to

MPAA Censorship Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MPAA Censorship - Research Paper Example MPAA is alternate to federal regulation of motion picture content by United States government. This is because America lagged behind other countries in implementing motion picture rating. After the desertion of Production Codes in the 1950s, (Acland, 2009) movies became explicit all in the name of expressing realism. The realism movement had its significant contribution to the film industry and disadvantages. Realism movement boasts of production of great and timeless movies like Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock. However, it also gave arise to low-budget films that became extremely graphic in their sexual and violence content. The brutal and vicious content of movies such as Straw Dogs directed by Sam Peckinpah startled and troubled most conservative Americans. Moreover, a sequence of movies released later buried the realism movement to its grave by their obscene content. Due to this, a form of regulation had to be established, resulting to the birth of Motion Picture Association of America. In addition, National Association of Theater Owners consented to implement uniform rating system to all the movies shown. The distributors and exhibitors would enforce the system (Sklar, 2009). . The MPAA rates movies according to their content. It assists consumers especially parents to select appropriate movies for their children in different age groups. MPAA works in association with major movie production studios in America like, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studio and many others. The core functions of this rating system body includes, control and of distribution of movies, fighting unlawful copying of films and managing film ratings (Balio, 2000). Submission of movies for rating should be voluntary. Despite this, some producers prefer not to submit their films for rating to avoid incurring losses. To reinforce the submission on movies MPAA has a de facto obligatory position in the film industry. Since independent films do not focus on entertainmen t but rather on the artistic and aesthetic values of a film, they do not submit their films to the rating system. Independent filmmakers argue that their films require no distribution since they already have an existing consumer base. Hence, submission of their films to the rating system incurs unnecessary expenditure. When it comes to the rating process, MPAA does not have publication of a standard requirement of words, actions, or exposed body parts that filmmakers should incorporate in their films to get PG-13 rating (Balio, 2000). If a film contains use of drugs and callous sexually derived words, it gets a PG-13 rating. However, if the film uses such words a couple of times it gets an R rating. After rating, a film, the members submit their verdict to the producer of the film. The producer has the will to re-edit the film or appeal to the Appeals Board of the rating system if the results are not satisfactory. To avoid wrangles during the rating process movie publishers state th e desired MPAA rating with the movie producer. Some of the main rating categories MPAA uses to rate movie include- G— a film to that gets a G-rating should have mild humor. It should not have any form of crude language. There should be no nudity or sex scenes. Drug use and violence should not be present in the motion picture. PG—

Terrorist group Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Terrorist group - Research Paper Example According to ( Tellis) â€Å"In fact, since its establishment in 1987, LeT’s objectives relating to Kashmir and, more generally, India were fundamentally embedded in wider ambitions, with its focus on the subcontinent deriving mainly from its practical circumstances†. The suspected leaders of Lashkar - e – Taiba are Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ( Founder and Head) Abdul Rehman Makki (Second in Commander) Zaki – ur –Rehman- Lakhvi(Senior Member) Zarra Shah( Planning head) Muhammed Ashraf ( Financial Officer), Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed Bahaziq ( Leader & Financier)Nasr Javed ( Senior Operative). The characteristics of Lashkar leaders are fanaticism, radicalism, violence, suspicious identity, self - destruction, possession of weapons, illegal activities and funding and conspiracy. They have a suspicious identity and these people are not seen in public. They have an aggressive nature and are strong willed and high determination. They have the motive of separating K ashmir from India and joining with Pakistan as a Muslim state. This group is motivated by Al – Qaeda theology and US Foreign Policy. They have the sole purpose of destroying India a country and to uproot Hinduism and Judaism. LeT has declared Hindus and Jews to be enemies of Islam. According to ( Ahmed) â€Å" Union minister of state for home I.D. ... One of the thing they are trying to accomplish is to get rid of non – Islamist troop out of India and Middle East. They want to destroy Indian Republic as they believe that India the enemy of Islam and wants to subjugate the Islamic world. Lashkar -e- Taiba is attempting to preserve its ideologies of a puritanical and fundamental group. They want to preserve their religious laws and want to be distinctive from other cultures of world. They believe that Hinduism and Judaism are religion against Islamic values and want to eradicate them. They want to accomplish a strictly observing Islamic world with Quran principles as its foundation. Lashkar-e- Taiba as a terrorist group has focus on social, religious and political aspect. If one look at social aspect they want a culture or a world which is conservative and less liberal .They want a society which resembles and follows a restrictive life for women. On religious side, they focus on promoting a world where the Islamic rules are f ollowed. Lashkar- e- Taiba is a radical movement and a fanatic organization which only believe in one religion of Islam. On Political grounds they want to destroy non-believers especially India. Even though Lashkar target Hindus and Jews they do kill all sorts of people who are against their agenda. The Lashkar – e- Taiba has targeted India and Israel despite of the existence of Muslim population in the country. They despise Indian and Jews and most of the attacks have been made on Indian nationals. But they also have enmity towards Jews and they have a large scale network operation. Basically, non Muslims are their main targets. For the reason for targeting these people are basically because they devaluate Islamic rules and

Journal reflection (see instructions) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Journal reflection (see instructions) - Essay Example The class comprised twenty students. Out of twenty, only three has learning disabilities. Two of the students were facing problems concerning auditory and speech disability while one was unable to see because of blindness. I was reported about the problems the students with disabilities had such as understanding and comprehension of several words and sentences. I arranged a lesson by making a full-fledged curriculum. I also set a task for adaptations because according to my adaptations are quite helpful in accommodating students with required knowledge. As far as adaptations are concerned, they are advised to be designed at the beginning of instruction (Lenz and Schumaker, 2003). Therefore, I designed certain adaptations for students at the beginning. First of all, I divided my class into five groups of four students each. It is informed that students with LD (Learning Disabilities) are able to learn best when they are divided into groups (Vaughn, Bos and Schumm, 2004). The reason is that, their fellow students help them in learning. In my first class with the students, I helped them out in terms of understanding various words with the help of audiovisual aids such as pictures and speech. I informed them about various animals and showed them the pictures of animals. Initially, I spoke all the words with the pictures and then, I asked them to name the pictures. For the students with learning disabilities, I took help of assistive teaching devices. CD-based books are considered to be supportive in facilitating the students with learning disabilities. The books not only speak but also show the words along with speaking. The children with disability of speech and hearing were given support by means of the pictures and CD-based books that were indicating towards the words, that I was speaking. The blind girl was also facilitated because of the assistive devices because she was able to hear the words and then she was made to make use of embossed words, which

Public Privacy and Information Security Policy Research Paper

Public Privacy and Information Security Policy - Research Paper Example Home land security involves military intelligence and active field reporting to ensure that there is no offence within the country. Main forces of control include military, city police and special forces which work in tandem with regular regulatory bodies like the traffic and local police. The specificity of local populations makes it easy for the higher ups to ensure security and discipline in the sparsely populated states of America. The homeland security teams are also supported by medical, charitable and specially trained anti-bomb and homicide squads which rush to extend help on the spot in case of emergencies (Newmann, 2002, p.137). The technical decisions are taken by higher officials in the government and while the situation is mostly under control, the government uses extra care in ensuring that the right ammunition, vehicles, gadgets and technical requirements are available to the different squads to ensure that the nation is secure from terrorist attacks and threats to the aspirations and beliefs of the American system. The Homeland Security department is a cabinet that exercises heavy scrutiny on the different aspects of anti-terror mechanism in the states. It comprises of eminent military and senators and ministers of the state and came into existence after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center under the Bush administration which entrusted the Homeland security department of undertaking a multi-faceted approach in ensuring Homeland security (Bush, 2002, p.7). These include studies, innovations, research and applications in the field of emergency preparedness, domestic intelligence, international intelligence, critical infrastructure protection, perimeter protection, stopping child pornography, border security on land, country and maritime borders, transportation security, airtime security, maritime security, biodefense, radioactive element detection and research, radiological material usage, detection and research and

Uncle Toms Cabin Analytical Essay Essay Example for Free

Uncle Toms Cabin Analytical Essay Essay Critic Moira Davison Reynolds describes Uncle Toms Cabin as skillfully and artistically constructed propaganda that contributed mightily to massive reform (ix). As such, its author, Harriet Beecher Stowe has been placed among the greatest Americans that ever lived and at one time was the most famous woman in the country (Reynolds 146). Born on June 14, 1811, to a remarkably accomplished family of orators, educators and pioneering social activists, Harriet Elizabeth Beecher followed in the footsteps of her politically active family and took up the banner of anti-slavery reform. Her passion for the cause is said to have come to her as a result of her time spent in Ohio observing the results of the fugitive slave laws (Reynolds 159). Uncle Toms Cabin is a text intended to shock its readers into rejecting Slavery. At the same time, it is intended to raise the sympathy of its audience by humanizing the slave. This paper discusses how Stowe achieves each of these things in her novel and how effective she was. This paper also investigates the role of family feeling in Stowes novel: it serves the conflicted purpose of motivating white Americans to fight against slavery while also providing the basis for imagining the nation as a reassuringly racially pure family home. The Family Feeling in Rejecting Slavery and Humanizing the Slave At the center of Stowes abolitionist argument is the fact that slavery destroys families. The separation through sale or death by neglect of children from parents, husbands from wives, sisters from brothers, receives her harshest and most consistent criticism throughout the novel. In her final appeal to her readers, Stowe writes, The writer has given only a faint shadow, a dim picture, of the anguish and despair that are, at this very moment, riving thousands of hearts, shattering thousands of families, and driving a helpless and sensitive race to frenzy and despair (384). The two precipitating events that set the novel in motion are framed as instances of slaverys disregard for any family feeling. Mr. Shelby is driven by financial concerns to separate Tom from his wife and children and George Jr. from his parents, regardless of any claims to affection for his slaves or promises he has made for their manumission. In addition to following the diverging fates of Tom and Eliza, the novel produces what James Baldwin called a catalogue of violence (496), providing numerous examples of familial destruction at the hands of ruthless slave traders and vicious owners. One illustrative example is the story of Lucy, a woman purchased by the slave trader Haley as he takes Tom down to the New Orleans market early in the novel. When Haley sells her son, Lucy waits until dark and throws herself into the river. Her suicide is never mentioned again, but the tragedy of her death is one element of the constant backdrop of familial destruction as Tom travels deeper into slave territory. In addition to feeling horror at these and other stories throughout the novel, the reader is meant to feel particular distaste for those characters who are not so moved by such willful destruction of family ties. For example, Mr. Shelby describes Haley the slave trader as someone who would sell his own mother at a good percentage not wishing the old woman any harm, either (30). Haleys villainy is expressed not just through his actions, but through his lack of proper familial affections. Marie St. Claire, Evas deeply self-absorbed mother, is almost as much a villain as Haley, not least because she refuses to believe that her slaves love their families in the same way that white women do. She complains, Now, St. Claire really has talked to me as if keeping Mammy from her husband was like keeping me from mine. Theres no comparing in this way. Mammy couldnt have the feelings I should. Its a different thing altogether as if Mammy could love her dirty babies as I love Eva! (151). The corruption of families by slavery is more than a series of individual tragedies; it is a blight on both the civic and spiritual life of the nation as a whole. Stowe writes, Nothing of tragedy can be written, can be spoken, can be conceived, that equals the frightful reality of scenes daily and hourly acting on our shores, beneath the shadow of American law, and the shadow of the cross of Christ (384). The scenes of family destructions to which Stowe refers in the passage picture the worst travesties of maternal care she can imagine infanticide and suicide of mothers who chose death for themselves and their children over slavery. The solution to the crisis of slavery lies in a restoration of proper family feeling, a call which Stowe frames in national terms. In her most extended direct address to the reader in the last chapter of the novel, she writes an incantatory call to the men and women of America, and particularly the mothers of America to draw on their own experience of parental love as a means through which to fight for the end of slavery. She writes, And now, men and women of America, is this a thing to be trifled with, apologized for, and passed over in silence? And you, mothers of America, you, who have learned, by the cradles of your children, to love and feel for all mankind, by the sacred love you bear your child; I beseech you, pity those mothers that are constantly made childless by the American slave-trade! And say, mothers of America, is this a thing to be defended, sympathized with, passed over in silence? (384) In the logic of her call, to fight against slavery is to fight for not just individual families, but for the duty and love that families are divinely sanctioned to inspire and protect. To love anyone properly, to be moved to defend the rights of other mothers to love their own children, one must first draw from their own experience. If that familial love is as strong as it is supposed to be, then slavery would be unconscionable. The tactic of mobilizing sentiment is used throughout the book to force the reader to consider slavery in light of her own family life. When Tom is separated from his children at the beginning of the novel, the narrator breaks from the event to address the reader and call up his or her own feelings over lost children. After describing Toms tears, she writes, just such tears, sir, as you dropped into the coffin where lay your first-born son; such tears, woman, as you shed when you heard the cries of your dying babe. For, sir, he was a man, and you are but another man (34). By seeing Tom as but another man, the reader must temporarily abandon the distinctions that make slavery if not racism possible, although this temporary suspension is challenged by the novels resolution. Stowe also calls on the readers to shift their frame of reference when considering the sale of human beings by addressing those slaves for sale at the New Orleans auction through the nominal forms of family: Then you shall be courteously entreated to call and examine, and shall find an abundance of husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and young children, to be sold separately, or in lots to suit the convenience of the purchaser' (283). The reformist impact of the image is meant to lie in the use of affectionate names for family juxtaposed to the utilitarian language of commerce. Such moments call up the readers indignation; other moments are meant to inspire the readers admiration. Another method through which Stowe humanizes slaves is stressing their familiar bonds and characteristics. In many ways, George and Eliza are ideal parents and spouses. Eliza, described as beautiful, educated, and kind, risks her life to prevent losing her son to Haley, the slave trader. Her dedication is distilled in the famous dash across the ice floes to get into Ohio from Kentucky (52). George, also handsome and intelligent, is willing to risk his life to protect Eliza. When they are being pursued by Haley and Tom Loker, George exclaims, And now, Eliza, Ill give my last drop of blood, but they shall not take you from me. Whoever gets you must walk over my dead body (165). George defines his masculinity through his marriage, telling Eliza, your loving me, why, it was almost like raising one from the dead! Ive been a new man ever since! (165). Conversely, Elizas femininity is framed through her ability to tame to proper proportions Georges occasional violent and irreligious impulses by enclosing them within domesticity. In their first scene together in the novel, George comes to Eliza in a rage, telling her about the numerous offenses committed by his masters. He hints several times that he might retaliate with violence, and Eliza urges him to control his temper through prayer: What are you going to do? O, George, dont do anything wicked; if you only trust in God, and try to do right, hell deliver you. I aint a Christian like you, Eliza; my hearts full of bitterness; I cant trust in God. Why does he let this be so? (15) George can only respond to Elizas influence when they have escaped slavery and are able to establish as sense of home while living with the Quakers. Home is described as a circle within which proper family and religious sentiment can develop. This, indeed, was a home, home, — a word that George had never yet known a meaning for; and a belief in God, and trust in his providence, began to circle his heart, as, with a golden cloud of protection and confidence, dark, misanthropic, pining, atheistic doubts, and fierce despair, melted away. (122). This passage describes the kind of familial sentiment that Stowe continually tries to incite in her readers throughout the text. According to Stowe, white families fail most consistently throughout the novel. Her calls for the readers to sympathize with the suffering of African American families under slavery is in part an attempt to move them to action, but it is also an attempt to get them to reform their own family feelings and connections to feel right not just about the issue of slavery, but about how to behave as a member of a white Christian family and nation. After all, the first scene of the novel shows us the tactless slave trader sullying the white family parlor, and throughout the novel, white family feeling fails, despite the best intentions of their members. The Shelbys provide an example. Mrs. Shelby treats her slaves with kindness, and imparts to them the value of domesticity. When she finds out that Mr. Shelby has contracted to sell George Jr. , she exclaims, I have taught them the duties of the family, of parent and child, and husband and wife; and how can I bear to have this open acknowledgement that we care for no tie, no duty, no relation, however sacred, compared to money? (29). She does her best to protect both Tom and Eliza, but in the end she cannot change her husbands decision. But the Shelbys failures are not unique. Husbands like Shelby and St. Claire mismanage money or die prematurely and the familys slaves must be sold down the river. Mothers are either ineffectual like Mrs. Shelby or actively awful like Marie St. Claire: as a result, families are separated and beatific children die of consumption. Two of the most powerful figures of maternal influence in the novel the dead mothers of St. Claire and Simon Legree can be read as symbols of retribution and reform. Legree is driven mad by the thought of the perfect love that his mother once had for him (323), but that perfect love is only a fearful torture, and in fact it drives him to redouble his efforts to rape Emmeline. He declares, Curse me, if I think theres any such thing as forgetting anything, any how, — hang it! Im lonesome! I mean to call Em. She hates me the monkey! I dont care, —Ill make her come! (323). St. Claire describes his mother as divine (195), and it is under the influence of her spirit that he begins to take the legal steps to manumit his slaves. But her influence arrives too late; St. Claire is stabbed to death while out on a walk, and Tom is sold down the river once again. The novel is plagued by such incidents, and at each stage they elicit sympathy from the readers, sympathy explicitly structured by the family form. The tragedy we are meant to feel most strongly is the failure of white families to function properly. Conclusion It can be concluded that Uncle Toms Cabin was effective in rejecting slavery and raising the sympathy of its audience by humanizing the slave. Stowe achieves each of these things in her novel through investigation of the role of family feeling: it serves the conflicted purpose of motivating white Americans to fight against slavery while also providing the basis for imagining the nation as a reassuringly racially pure family home. The restoration of George and Eliza Harris’ family after their harrowing escape from slavery and their decision to repatriate to Liberia are rendered in the service of the novels desire to rehabilitate white domesticity on both the familial and the national scale. Works Cited Baldwin, James. Everybodys Protest Novel. 1955. Harriet Beecher Stowe s Uncle Toms Cabin. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1994. 495-501. Reynolds, Moira Davison. Uncle Toms Cabin and Mid-Nineteenth Century United States. North Carolina: McFarland, 1985. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Toms Cabin. 1852. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1994.

The Healthcare Delivery System Nursing Essay

The Healthcare Delivery System Nursing Essay What does it mean to be a leader. According to Forbes Magazine, a leader is someone that isnt afraid to take the initiative to act. A leader is not only there during good times, but also in times of need and hardship. Whenever there are big changes that must take place, a leader is never afraid and instead will look at this as an opportunity to improve the old ways. There are many challenges a leader must face, especially in healthcare. Being ready and having contingency plans for every possible situation is what can set apart a leader from the rest. The Healthcare Delivery System The health care delivery system or simply health system is a combination people, health care organizations, and all their resources that aim to deliver professional quality care to different target population (Hackbarth, 2009). According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on their consensus report, the health care delivery system will need to achieve better performance on the following six dimensions to be improved: Safety Avoid doing harm to patients. Effectiveness Use of evidenced-base practice instead of unproven methods. Patient-centeredness Respect and involve patients in their care. Timeliness Treatment given without delays. Efficiency Maximizing results with lowest required resources. Equity Equality of all people in receiving health care. (AmericanProgress.org, 2008) The nurse leader can use the previous six dimensions defined by IOM as a guideline in times of change to reform the healthcare delivery system for the better. Leaders versus Managers Managers can be leaders but not all leaders can be managers. A person can become a leader based on personality, knowledge, and expertise. A manager is often a position given by a higher authority. Since it is a position that is assigned, it is more stable while being a leader is often only temporary. The main concern of a manager is the goal of the company or the organization. The leaders main concern is the satisfaction and goals of group members. A leader doesnt need to have a managerial position to be able to act as a leader. In contrast, a manager often requires leadership traits to function as a good manager (Finkelman, 2011). Transformational Leadership The idea behind transformational leadership is to create a leader that can easily adapt to changes and also empower the staff at the same time. This type of leader goes beyond just teaching staff of their role within the organization, but also able to influence others to be independent of their own thinking on how to further improve the organization to the extent of even taking risks (Finkelman, 2011). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends five core health care profession competencies to use as a framework to focus on improving care. They are as follows: Care is focused on the patient Collaborate with other academic disciplines teams Use of evidenced-based practice Improve quality application Use of informatics (Finkelman, 2011) With so many changes that need to take place on these five core health profession competencies to improve health care, a transformational leader will indeed be required since such a leader should have an easier time adapting to change. This leader will need to show exceptional knowledge in these areas and be able to apply that knowledge on his practice while empowering others. Even a transformational leader has its flaws. If such a leader proves to be unsuccessful, it is usually due to one or more of the following errors: Lack of sense of urgency Lack of a guiding coalition Lack of a vision Lack of communication about the vision Lack of removals of barriers to the vision Lack of systematic planning Declaring a victory to soon Lack of recognition of organization culture (Finkelman, 2011) There are different ways a transformational leader can overcome these errors. For the lack of sense of urgency, a leader needs to have a strong determination to complete the tasks required to finish the job in time. It doesnt matter how small a step must be taken as long as it leads to moving forward as soon as possible (Kotter, 2008). Lack of a guiding coalition can be resolved by acquiring more information that can be used to set the correct course of action. This can be done by the leader by gathering his team and discussing his findings and plans for the change. The leader should also prepare plans on how to handle communication barriers such as lack of vision, systematic planning, and communication. This plan can involve creating a focus group that will enable team members to voice their opinions and concerns as well as their achievements. This can also be an opportunity to share ideas on how to improve. Using questions that provoke honest answers that can also be used to evalua te how the team feels. No matter how sure a leader is, declaring a victory to soon should be shunned upon. It might raise the morale of the people but the aftereffects of failure or loss will be much more devastating compared to not declaring victory too early. A smart leader will be patient and will avoid making claims without backing it up. Finally, lack of recognition by the organization to its people or employees could cause feeling of un-appreciation-that no matter how much hard a person work, his achievements will never be recognized. One way to solve this by the leader is to form some sort of award system that will recognize employees that excelled in their field. This could be a monthly thing such as an employee of the month award or something especial like recognition award of how an employee excelled on something that benefited the organization. Whatever the case may be, its a good idea to reward employees that do well. This doesnt only keep their morale high but also make s them feel appreciated and important which often result in more productivity at work (Entrepreneur.com, 2011). Competencies of an Effective Leader The two most important competencies I have selected for an effective leader are as follows: Work in interdisciplinary teams Utilizing Informatics The other competencies are also important but both of the above are increasingly becoming more so in our current and most likely future health care system. The health field is composed of several interdisciplinary sciences that each having their own expertise. A kind of leader that doesnt limit himself to one branch of health care and is willing to collaborate with other professionals is not only wise but puts the leader in a great advantage especially because of the information he can utilize in making good decisions. In my own opinion, being able to know where to get information on how to accomplish what is intended is usually a better trait than trying to shoulder it all. Along with utilizing information is informatics-a field in science where information is processed, managed, and retrieved mostly by the use of computers. An example of this is the Health Information Technology (HIT) that will be critical in implementing this system of managing health care delivery (RWJ Foundation, 2011). With the advancement in technology for the past 10 years, it will be unwise for any leader not to learn and take advantage of information technology. Even nursing has a new field now called nursing informatics where nursing and computer science meets. Informatics has become relevant to nursing now more than ever. Almost every information known to man are now is being computerized and stored in big computer databases. Even in hospitals, from MARs to TARs, to patient records, discharge plans, care plans, etc. all are being automated and stored in computers. Hospitals everywhere and even other companies have a motto of going paperless in the future. It will be obvious t o any effective and competent nurse leader that learning informatics is a necessity (Salsali, 2010). There was a study done in Ireland to find out leadership development needs. The study is done on nurses and midwives back in 2009 using a random sample of over 2000 all across different departments and divisions. The purpose of the study is to describe the clinical leadership of these nurses. The leadership needs was measured using a questionnaire called CLAN-Q or Clinical Leadership Analysis of Need Questionnaire that was developed by the people conducting the research. According to CLAN-Q results, there are five main areas of clinical development needs for a leader and they are as follows: Managing the clinical area Managing patient care Developing oneself as an individual Developing the profession Skills for clinical leadership Obviously, a nurse leader needs to learn how to manage the clinical area. This can involve coordinating care and identifying care priorities. Being a patient advocate and protecting their privacy falls down to managing patient care. A nurse leader should also be aware of his/her limits by knowing his/her own strength and weaknesses developing into a better individual. Participating in professional gatherings or seminars relating to ones own profession can also further develop it. Lastly, empowering others and learning how to adapt to changes are necessary skills for a leader (Casey, 2012). I believe including the above five areas in manager and leadership development programs will prepare them better in becoming good managers and leaders. Summary Being a manager or a leader is not an easy task. Not only there are so many things a manager or leader should learn, but also there are a lot that they have to teach others. There are types of leaders that can be good in one department but not so much on others. There are also errors or mistakes a leader can make. But no matter what kind of leader or manager a person is, learning from past mistakes and pursuing for improvement are qualities not only ideal for leaders and managers, but also to an individual.

Effect Of Different Concentrations Of Vitamin C

Effect Of Different Concentrations Of Vitamin C This project was designed to investigate the effect of different concentrations of vitamin C solution on seed germination of Brassica parachinensis or Choy Sum. Seeds treated with vitamin C solutions of various concentrations were used and germination percentage was calculated. Seeds were soaked in vitamin C solutions of increasing concentrations for 12 hours, dried and then sown in germinating trays. The seeds were watered with the same amount of vitamin C solution of respective concentrations. After 36 hours, the number of germinated seeds was counted and the germination percentage was calculated and recorded. Results showed that the germination percentage increases as low concentration of vitamin C solution was used. It was shown that 1% of vitamin C solution gave the highest germination percentage. A statistical analysis using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient showed a statistically significant negative linear relationship between concentration of vitamin C and germi nation percentage since the calculated r value was greater than critical value at 5% significant level. Introduction In order to increase productivity, it is important to improve overall growth and performance of agricultural crops. Germination rate in particular is crucial because an increase in germination rate is usually followed by an improvement of overall seedling performance   thus enhancing overall plant growth and productivity.(Parera and Cantliffe, 1991).   There are many factors affecting seed germination such as temperature, humidity, presence of light and seed dormancy. Recently, there is also evidence to support a link between certain biochemical characteristics and seed vigour.(Randhir and Shetty, 2003) Fast oxidation of fatty acids and proteins can reduce viability, vigour and germination percentage in seeds.11 Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is one of the most widely taken dietary supplement.5 It is an antioxidant which is an essential nutrient for living organisms as it protects the body against oxidative stress. Vitamin C is made naturally in plants but the amount depends on the variety of plant and external factors on which the plants grow.1 Ascorbic acid is an important metabolite involved in many cellular processes, including cell division (De Gara et al., 2003). Ascorbate has been shown to play multiple roles in plant growth, such as in cell division, cell wall expansion, and other developmental processes. It can act as a coenzyme for numerous metabolic enzymes and has recently been shown to be a potent antioxidant.12 Figure 1: The oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid 6 (410 words) Vitamin C interacts with oxidants in an oxidation reaction where ascorbic acid is oxidised to dehydroascorbic acid through an ascorbyl radical intermediate.8 The oxidized forms of ascorbate are relatively unreactive, and do not cause cellular damage. They can be converted back to ascorbate by cellular enzymes.4 Application of ascorbic acid exogenously may influence various processes in plants including seed germination, ion uptake and transport, and membrane permeability.12 Structure of vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid  or Dehydroascorbic acid   L-ascorbate 4 (nominal oxidized form  of Vitamin C) 4 Previous reports show some conflicting evidence about the effect of vitamin C towards seed germination. While some researchers say that vitamin C can promote seed vigour as in pea (Pisum Sativum) seeds, 12 some state that its presence will inhibit seed germination as in soybean seed.13 Defined in the qualitative term, seed vigour is the sum of those properties of the  seed  which determine the potential level of  activity and performance of the  seed or seed  lot during germination and seedling emergence.12 Seeds of genus Brassica are used in this experiment because the seeds are small and have a short life cycle. Therefore, experiment can be done within few days and the seeds can be used in large number with less space needed. Hence, this experiment was aimed to explore the benefits of vitamin C which is an antioxidant which may help to increase plant resistance that leads to enhanced crops. (647 words) Experimental Hypothesis The lower the concentration of vitamin C solution, the higher the germination percentage of Brassica parachinensis Null Hypothesis There is no correlation between different concentrations of vitamin C solutions and the germination percentage of Brassica parachinensis (685 words) Planning Trials Trial experiment was conducted to determine the best range of concentrations of vitamin C solution to be used and the reasonable methods and procedures so that good results are obtained. Methods Involved Preparing vitamin C solution of different concentrations Since the source of vitamin C used is the vitamin C tablet, the best method chosen is the serial dilation method. During trial, concentrations tested are 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 10% and 0%. The basic stock solution of 100% was prepared by dissolving 100mg of vitamin C tablet in 100ml distilled water in a 300ml beaker. Other concentrations were made by serial dilution method. To prepare 50% concentration of vitamin C solution, same amount of 100% solution and distilled water were added together. Equal amount of 100% and 50% concentrations were mixed up to make 75% concentration and so on. Sowing the seeds The seeds were primed in 6 different Petri dishes for 12 hours according to its respective concentration. Another 6 Petri dishes were labelled. Layers of cotton of the same thickness were put into Petri dishes and moisten with the same volume of vitamin C solution of different concentrations. Soaked seeds with similar size were chosen and took out of Petri dish using a pair of forceps. They are then dried using paper towels and were sown in labelled Petri dishes. (909 words) In the first trial, 25 seeds were soaked in different concentrations of vitamin C solution while another 25 seeds were not soaked before being sown. This is to determine whether it is necessary to soak seeds or not before sowing. 36 hours after sowing seeds Concentration/% Number of seeds germinated Soaked seeds 0 15 10 16 50 1 Table 1 shows the number of soaked and unsoaked seeds after 36 hours In the second trial, each group of 25 seeds were soaked in different concentrations before being sown. This is to determine the best range of concentrations of vitamin C for main experiment. 36 hours after sowing seeds Concentration/% Number of seed germinated Trial 1 Trial 2 Mean 0 15 16 16 10 18 16 17 25 5 5 5 50 1 3 2 75 2 1 2 100 1 0 1 Table 2 shows germination percentage of seeds soaked in different concentrations (1075 words) Results After 36 hours of sowing, the number of seeds germinated was counted and germination percentage was calculated. Germination is claimed to have occurred when the radicle was visibly extended from the seed, protruding through a fracture in the seed coat. The result was tabulated. Based on the results obtained after trials were carried out, there were a few things that could be done to improve result. Firstly, more seeds should be used so that the result will be more significant. For the real experiment, 50 seeds were used instead of 25 seeds. Seeds were primed for 12 hours because priming is important as seed coat contains some chemicals that inhibit germination. Seed priming is a common agronomic technique shown to cause an increase  seed vigour,  as well as synchronize and accelerate  germination, improve stress resistance, and enhance overall  plant  growth and productivity.12 However, some of the seeds start to germinate and fractures on seed coat could be observed if the seeds were primed for too long. Besides, the range of concentration to be used in real experiment was determined to be between 0% to 10% concentrations because both showed high percentage of seed germination with only slight difference in value. Seeds soaked in 100% concentration showed the lowest germination percentage. The germination of seeds was almost totally inhibited in this solution. Fractures on the seed coats were observed but radicles were not extended significantly. Besides, after carrying out trial experiment, I realized that it was better to sow seeds in germinating tray rather than in Petri dishes as Petri dish is round-shaped which made it difficult for me to count the number of seeds germinated. (1351 words) Main experiment Variables Manipulated: Concentration of vitamin C solution Different concentrations of vitamin C are prepared using the same serial dilution technique as in trials. But this time using smaller range of concentrations of 10%, 7.5%, 5%, 2.5%, 1% and 0% (distilled water). But for smaller concentration, micropipette is used instead of measuring cylinder to make up the total volume of 100ml. Responding: Germination percentage (%) Germination percentage is calculated using the following equation; Germination is said to occur when radicle emerges (>2mm) after 36 hours. Constant: mass of vitamin C (100mg/tablet), volume of solution used for soaking seeds (20ml/Petri dish) and volume of solution used to moisten cotton (60ml/tray) and environmental factors (light intensity, temperature, and humidity), period of soaking, type and number of seeds. All trays were placed under normal white fluorescent lamp and on a laboratory table at 28ËÅ ¡C. Apparatus and materials Apparatus: 300ml beakers, Petri dishes, measuring cylinders, germinating trays, stirring rod, micropipette, and pestle and mortar. Materials: Distilled water, 100mg vitamin C tablet, cotton, choy sum seeds, and paper towels. (1535 words) Safety precautions Gloves were worn when handling vitamin C tablet to prevent tablet from contamination. Micropipette was used with care. The tip of micropipette was always checked to ensure that there is no air bubbles inside it as this may reduce the actual volume required for each concentration. Glass wares like beakers and measuring cylinders were handled gently since the apparatus may break easily. This may lead to injuries. Soaked seeds were transferred gently using forceps as they are very fragile. Data collections of main study Number of seeds used in every concentration: 50 Soaking for 12 hours Observations after soaking seeds for 36 hours Concentration (%) Number of seeds germinated Mean number of seeds germinated Replicate 1 Replicate 2 Replicate 3 0.0 45 44 43 44 1.0 48 48 47 48 2.5 42 39 38 40 5.0 41 42 43 42 7.5 35 35 34 35 10.0 34 33 33 33 Table 2 shows the germination percentage for seeds treated with different concentrations (1712 words) Sample calculation (taken values from 0% concentration) Germination percentage: =44/50 x 100 =88% (1749 words) Statistical analysis For this experiment, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (PMCC) was used to measure the strength of linear dependence between the two variables; the different concentrations and the germination percentage. The values obtained are normally distributed. The correlation coefficient, r ranges from -1 to 1. A value of 1 implies that a linear equation describes the relationship between X and Y perfectly for which Y increases as X increases. A value -1 implies correlation in which Y decreases as X increases. A value of 0 implies that there is no linear correlation between the variables. x 0.0 1.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0 ÃŽ £x=26 y 88 96 80 84 70 66 ÃŽ £y=484 x2 0.0 1.00 6.25 25.0 56.25 100.0 ÃŽ £x2=188.5 y2 7744 9216 6400 7056 4900 4356 ÃŽ £y2=39672 xy 0.0 96 200 420 525 660 ÃŽ £xy=1901 Table 3 shows the calculations done in calculating the values of r Sx = x2 = 188.5 (26)2/6 = 75.833 Sy = y2 = 39672 (484)2/6 = 629.33 Sxy = xy = 1901 [(26) (484)]/6 = -196.33 (1933 words) To find correlation coefficient, r r = r = -196.33/ (75.8331/2 x 629.331/2) r = -0.899 (negative sign indicates negative correlation between variables) Degree of freedom = n -2 n = # of pairs of data = 6 2 = 4 Level of significance for two-tailed test .10 .05 .02 1 .988 .997 .9995 2 .900 .950 .980 3 .805 .878 .934 4 .729 .811 .882 5 .669 .754 .833 6 .621 .707 .789 Table 4 shows the critical values for PMCC The value of r obtained was compared with the critical value from Table 4 at 5% significance level. r = 0.899 > 0.811 (critical value) at 5% significance level An analysis using PMCC demonstrated a statistically significant negative linear relationship between concentration of vitamin C and germination percentage since calculated r value was greater than the critical value at 5% significance level. Therefore, null hypothesis can be rejected. (2093 words) Data analysis Based on the data collected in Table 2, it was shown that low concentration of vitamin C did promote germination of choy sum to a certain extent. The statistical analysis using PMCC further verified the correlation. The table also revealed that only low concentration of vitamin C was needed to hasten germination since under 10% concentration, seeds germinated at a lower rate (66%). Graph 1 illustrates clearly the general trend and relationship between the variables, the lower the concentration of vitamin C, the lower the germination rate of choy sum. The highest germination rate (96%) was recorded by seeds sown in 1% vitamin C concentration which was the lowest concentration used. However, it can be seen that the line is fluctuating downwards and there is a linear graph showing that the values obtained were due to certain errors that lead to some anomalous results. At 5% concentration of vitamin C, we can see that the germination rate is slightly higher than that of 2.5% but it is not supposed to be so. Some of errors that may occur during experiment are Mixing error when preparing solutions of different concentrations by serial dilution. The thickness of cotton layer in germinating tray may not be constant throughout the tray so vitamin C solution with thinner cotton layer may get evaporated faster thus absorption of solution is less for the seed in that tray Some of seeds may have been initially damaged so germination may not happen (2342 words) The germination percentage was compared with the result from other published academic journals. The germination percentage against day graph below shows the results from journal titled Effect of vitamin C and folic acid on seed vigour response and phenolic-linked antioxidant activity from source 12. It shows that the optimum concentration of vitamin C for pea seed to germinate is 500micromol/dm3. Using appropriate calculations, it can be calculated that 10% concentration is approximately equal to 500micromol/dm3.9 Thus, the germination percentage of pea seed in 10% concentration is highest compared to other concentrations. However, the result I obtained for highest germination percentage for Brassica parachinensis was different. This can be due to some errors and limitations occurred during experiment or the fact that they are of different types of seed which is further discussed in limitation and modification part. In this experiment, the constant or controlled variable is the use of distilled water (0% concentration). Since the results showed that the difference between germination rate between 0% and 1% concentration was very small (only about 8%), this indicated that the effect of vitamin C on seed vigour may be too little. Even though the effect is little, it cannot be denied that this little help from vitamin C can give a huge impact on agricultural sector as it is able to promote seed germination therefore improving mass production of plants rather than watering seeds with water only. (2577 words) Evaluation Seeds are exposed to various biotic and abiotic stresses during germination. Oxidative stress for example, caused by the production of high level of reactive oxygen intermediates such as O2, O2-, H2O2, and HO- can lead to the destruction of cells.4 Presence of low concentration of exogenous vitamin C stimulates seed vigour as it minimises oxidative stress by scavenging these reactive oxygen species. Many oxidants contain an unpaired electron so they are highly reactive. These free radicals are damaging because they can interact with other molecules resulting in a whole chain of free radical reactions. Ascorbate can terminate these chained radical reactions by serving as a stable (electron + proton) donor in interactions with free radicals.4 However, high concentration of vitamin C solution inhibits seed germination because as solution becomes more concentrated, more water from cells diffuse out causing cellular membrane leakage.3 Besides that, being a good electron donor, excess ascorbate in the presence of free metal ions can not only promote, but also initiate free radical reactions, thus making it a potentially dangerous pro-oxidative compound in certain metabolic contexts.8 We hypothesize that whether vitamin C has a net pro oxidant or antioxidant effect depends on the concentration of vitamin C solution.8 With relation to improving  seed vigour  through stimulation of  phenolic  synthesis, it has been suggested that exogenously applied  phenolic antioxidants may be able to stimulate endogenous  phenolic  content in plants  (Randhir and Shetty, 2003  and  Randhir et al., 2002). Due to its inherent  antioxidant  potential, vitamin C seems to be a suitable growth regulator in increasing  seed vigour and phenolic  elicitation. In this study, we have hypothesized that the treatment of plants with  vitamin C  as exogenous  seed treatments may result in an increase in both biochemical and traditional agronomic indicators of  seed vigour.11 (2873 words) Limitations and modifications One of the limitations in this experiment is the changing surrounding temperature. The seeds were left in laboratory room where the temperature may fluctuate over time. This may affect the germinating time of the seeds and the number of germinated seed after 36 hours. Besides temperature, humidity and light intensity were also uncontrolled. Since all seeds were exposed to the same environmental factors, the result is considered to be reliable. Besides that, some seeds may have been initially damaged before soaking or sowing. Therefore, vitamin C solution may not be the actual cause of inhibition of seed germination. The seeds are chosen only by physical measures such as similarity in size, shape and colour and seed coat is not broken. However, limitations can be overcome by using a large number of seeds and the experiment is repeated for a few times to ensure that result obtained is reliable and enough to support conclusion. This investigation tests only on the effectiveness of vitamin C solution on seed germination without exposing seeds to other biotic stress such as salinity or abiotic stress such as exposure to sunlight. Modifications could be made by introducing a biotic or abiotic stress to the seed and observe if vitamin C still stimulates seed germination or otherwise. Different types of seed may have different result with vitamin C solution. So, using seeds from one type of plant may not be able to indicate how vitamin C actually acts on seed. As vitamin C may enhance seed vigour in certain species, it could do otherwise to other species. Hence, the same experiment should be done to seeds from other species to see how they are affected by vitamin C solution. Conclusion The lower the concentration of vitamin C, the higher the germination rate of Brassica parachinensis seeds. This is due to the antioxidant properties of vitamin C which acts against the oxidative stress. The optimum vitamin C concentration for seed germination is 1%. (3200 words) Source Evaluation I have referred to various sources in conducting my research. Sources 1, 2, 3 and 4 are from Wikipedia which has been the largest and most popular general  reference work  on the  internet. Although many have doubts over its reliability as it can be edited by anyone with access to the site but it is cited and linked to many other literatures and academic researches around the globe. Source 5 is a website written by health experts on health and medicine. Source 6 is a website that provides information written by university scholars with reference to other academic researches. Source 7 is reliable as it is written by  Dr. Bryan D. McKersie of  University  of  Guelph and is posted on the internet in 1996. Source 8 is a reliable source as it is an article by The American Society for Nutritional Sciences and was published in The Journal of Nutrition website in 2004. Source 9 has been a referral site to many people around the world. The information seems reliable as it is written by experts. Source 10 is a published book thus the information is reliable. Source 11 is a journal from ScienceDirect which I have accessed from my campus library. ScienceDirect is a leading full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and more than 11,000 books. There are currently more than 9.5 million articles/chapters, a content base that is growing at a rate of almost 0.5 million additions per year. It is operated by the publisher Elsevier. Source 12 is a journal advised by an international Editorial Board and is abstracted or indexed by various research databases like the EBSCO and Elsevier. Source 13 is an article from the Journal of Biological Chemistry.